


Someplace Warm and Bright

by slashhearts



Category: THE iDOLM@STER, THE iDOLM@STER: SideM
Genre: Angst, Birthday, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Sleepovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-09-28 02:35:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17174234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slashhearts/pseuds/slashhearts
Summary: Seiji drops into his favorite ramen joint on his day off.





	Someplace Warm and Bright

“Welcome, welcome. Oh, Seiji! Day off today?”

“Hey, Michiru.”

Seiji took his usual seat at Michiru’s counter and within minutes, a bowl of tonkotsu ramen with char siu pork materialized before him. A second later, a small cup of sake appeared next to the bowl. Seiji looked up to find Michiru holding his own cup.

“Cheers!”

“Cheers.”

The two downed their shots and then another. Seiji snapped a pair of chopsticks and paused for a second before digging in.

“Thanks for the food.”

The ramen shop was uncharacteristically empty for this time of day. Usually, the low light of the evening was accompanied by high schoolers having just finished their club activities or salarymen forgoing the usual after-work drinks. Seiji enjoyed the quiet though, the stillness peppered with the sound of something bubbling gently or frying in the back. The shop itself sat content in its own light.

“So what’dya get up to today?”

“You know, this and that,” Seiji set his bowl down. “I got to get Amane ready for school which was nice.”

“What grade is she in now, fourth?” Michiru leaned against the wall across from him and started drying some dishes.

“Fifth grade actually, I can’t believe it myself,” Seiji chuckled. He cradled his glass of water.

Michiru let out a low whistle, “Soon she’ll be all grown up! And datin’!!”

“Ugh, don’t remind me,” Seiji grimaced. “She already has this huge crush on Ryu…”

“I kid, I kid!” Michiru held up a hand in jest. “I heard about what happened the last time y’all had dinner at your place.”

“He didn’t have to encourage her by taking that large of a serving of rice from her…” Seiji argued.

“Cut the kid some slack,” Michiru laughed. “They’re still at that impressionable age. Though, looking at Takeru an’ Ren, she could be that impressionable for a long time.”

“No offense, but I think Amane’s more sensible than that,” Seiji pointed out.

“And there’s Papa Bear Seiji, ready to protect an’ defend his cub,” Michiru teased.

Seiji simply shrugged in response and took a sip of water. He looked out the window and watched as more and more couples appeared on the streets, hooked at the arm or linked at the hand. Some shared scarves, others had matching beanies. Michiru followed his gaze out and surveyed the scene.

“Looks nice,” Michiru muttered. “Peaceful.”

Seiji didn’t respond. He took another sip of water.

“It looks cold,” he finally said. “But, I went—”

“You ever think—”

The two looked at each other in concern, trying to urge the other to go first and finish their thought before the interruption. After minutes of going back and forth, Seiji won out.

“Alright, fine,” Michiru sighed. He nodded towards the people on the street. “I was just gonna ask if you ever thought of seeing yourself out there, like one of them.”

“You know how I get around women,” Seiji rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, you’re pretty useless,” Michiru remembered.

“Thank you for that,” Seiji jabbed. “But you’re right. Can’t ever see myself with a woman. I think I can understand them enough, but I just shut down. You’ve seen it.”

“Maybe you’re jus’ afraid of _new_ women,” Michiru suggested.

“No, my sister’s already tried to set me up with one of our old childhood friends… The first and only date lasted ten minutes,” Seiji held his head in his hands, resting his elbows on the counter. “Should’ve only been five, but she was a good sport about it.”

“Yikes,” Michiru grimaced. “I mean, it don’t hafta be with a woman either…”

“Don’t worry about it too much,” Seiji waved off any pity. Whether he didn’t hear or chose not to hear his last comment, Michiru wasn’t sure but Seiji continued on, “Besides, I figure I’m doing alright by myself. And I have FRAME, and the Producer… I have you too.”

“Eh, I just feed you is all,” Michiru had dried the last of the dishes and started stacking plates to put away.

“You keep telling yourself that. I’m telling you, you’re my man,” Seiji leaned forward to try and get across better to his friend. “Probably wouldn’t have continued with the idol work if it wasn’t for you.”

“That’s a lie and you know it,” Michiru rolled his eyes. He kept his face down towards his work. He tried to appear preoccupied. “You’re doing it for Amane, you’d do anything for her,

“True,” Seiji said. “But I would’ve enjoyed it less if it weren’t for you. So thanks.”

“Yeah, yeah…“ Michiru smiled to himself. He sought to find another subject to talk about, something not about him. “Did you visit him today?”

“I did,” Seiji admitted, thrown off by the sudden transition. “I stopped by right before I came here actually.”

“How was he?”

“He was good,” Seiji said. He hadn’t realized it, but he had reached for his dogtags. He held the metal plates between his fingers, warm from his own body heat. “I hadn’t seen him in awhile so I figured I’d pay him a visit. I actually ran into his family there.”

“What happened?” Michiru asked. He wasn’t sure if this was safe territory to venture into. He spoke slowly to give himself time to think and to mentally kick himself for bringing it up in the first place. “This kinda thing hasn’t happened before has it?”

“It has every now and again,” he shrugged. “They’re always nice though. We share old stories about him, catch up. You remember I told you a while back, he has a little brother around Amane’s age. Likes to play baseball, big fan of the Hanshin Tigers… They’re all good people.”

He fiddled with the dogtags in his hands, clinking together as he played with them absentmindedly.

“Well, that don’t sound too bad,” Michiru said. He could see Seiji’s gaze trail away farther and farther out.

“They miss him.”

“Yeah.”

Seiji paused for a moment, staring at the ceiling before speaking next.

“I still miss him.”

“Yeah.”

Seiji glanced at his companion but otherwise kept his eyes above. He didn’t have to say much—in fact, he never had to say much—but Michiru just being there and listening was everything that Seiji needed. A few minutes passed, enough time for the street lamps to turn on outside.

“I mentioned this last time, but,” Michiru piped up. The hesitance in his voice was starting to pull Seiji’s attention back. “You ever think about talkin’ to Ryu an’ Hideo about all this? About him? I don’t mind bein’ the only one you can talk to about this, but it might do you some good.”

“I know,” Seiji shrugged again. “But I don’t know. I wouldn’t want to be such a downer, talking about him.”

“They care enough about you to listen and help you deal with this, that much I know,” Michiru pointed out matter-of-factly. “You’ve always been the reliable older brother for everyone, but you gotta be able to lean on others too.”

“...You’re right,” Seiji brought his gaze down and looked back to Michiru. “I need to learn how to rely on others more, not just you. Can’t imagine what a burden I’ve been these past couple years.”

“I’m not saying that ‘cause you’ve been a burden or anything since you haven’t, but I’m just lookin’ out for ya’s all,” Michiru put a hand on Seiji’s shoulder and offered a warm smile. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him. “Wait a second, tomorrow’s your birthday!”

“It is,” Seiji confirmed nonchalantly. He was silently grateful for another change in topic, but he kept the same warm, yet aloof air about him.

“Man, it’s been a year, hasn’t it?” Michiru reached over and emptied out the bottle into their cups. He tipped his cup to toast and Seiji returned the notion. The two gulped and sighed with a satisfied grunt. Nostalgia started to flow through them with the alcohol. “I can’t believe you did a candy and a _prison break_ event this year! You’ve got some range on you, Shingen.”

“You got the fun ones though, Enjouji. A vampire-themed Halloween concert and an action-shooter musical? Man, I would’ve loved to have done that with you…” Seiji took his own shot back. His face was starting to glow.

“We gotta talk to Shishou about that, it’s been waaaay too long since we’ve worked together.”

“Yeah, there was that beach concert where we worked at Nandou’s that one summer!”

“And then that Valentine’s Day concert too—Oh man, I just remembered how flustered you got when all those girls started give you those chocolates!!”

“I didn’t know what to do! I felt so bad, I didn’t know whether to accept them or not…” Seiji poured the drinks this time. Michiru pulled up a stool and rested his elbows on the counter to support himself.

“You offered them the chocolates you made yourself and everyone was so confused! Honestly, you fared better with all your guy friends during the beach concert.”

“And what’s wrong with that? Keep it up and maybe I won’t ask Producer to let us work together next time.”

“I kid, I kid!”

Their conversation reached a comfortable lull. Night was starting to settle now. In addition to the street lamps, storefronts and trees wrapped in twinkling lights glowed bright, illuminating the couples and crowds out on the street. Despite it all, they sat content in their own space, separated from it all, sharing the moment with each other. It all just seemed so far away, even with the window peeking out to the outside world.

“Y’know, I was gonna wait until the actual day of, but since you’re here already… Hold on for me a sec,” Michiru broke the silence and dipped into the back. He rustled around until he came back with something behind his back. “Close your eyes, hold your hand out.”

Seiji raised an eyebrow but still did as he was told.

“Should I be worried?” he asked, covering his eyes with one hand. The other patiently waited for whatever it could be receiving.

“Happy birthday, Seiji.”

He felt something small but hefty in his palm. He hadn’t expected anything so heavy. His hand tipped it ever so slightly. He uncovered his eyes and found a velvet box.

“What is it?” Seiji opened it to find a quartz-shaped gold bar. He plucked it out and held it in his hands. It was attached to a black velvet cord.

“A necklace,” Michiru pointed out. “Or you could double-up on the string there and turn it into a wristband if you’d like…”

Seiji slipped it around his neck and held up the pendant. Small numbers were inscribed on each facet.

“2-0-1-1-1-5… Is this… the day I debuted?” Seiji inspected, his eyes widening at the detail.

  
“Yup!!” Michiru grinned wide. “Whaddya think?”

“For a friend to get me such a thoughtful gift… I love it,” Seiji’s voice trembled slightly. He wiped away a tear and returned the smile. “Thank you, Michiru.”

“Aw man, don’t cry! Now I’m gonna start tearin’ up too!” Michiru laughed, rubbing his eyes.

“Really though, thank you,” Seiji held the pendant in his hands. “Now I really have to step it up for your birthday.”

“Eh, you got some time still,” Michiru winked.  

 

“I suppose so,” Seiji trailed off. He rocked rhythmically in his seat a bit, letting his new necklace clink against his dogtags. It was calming, almost sleep-inducing. His vision was starting to blur and his eyes were starting to get heavy. “I think I should get going soon…”

“Doesn’t look like you’re in much shape to go anywhere,” Michiru came around the counter and steadied his friend. “Listen, I got a spare bed upstairs, you can crash here for the night.”

“No, no, I’m okay, really,” Seiji said. He looked down at the floor where he would’ve been if it weren’t for Michiru holding him up.

“Yeah, no, you should lie down for a bit,” Michiru protested gently.

“But what about you? Where are you gonna sleep?” Seiji’s words were starting to blur together, at least in his own ears. He wasn’t quite at the slurring level yet. “I don’t wanna cause any trouble.”

“Not at all,” Michiru rushed to lock the doors before returning to his friend. He grabbed Seiji by the wrist and draped his arm around his shoulders. He gently lifted him up from the stool and started leading him to the back. “I actually don’t live here anymore, my apartment’s just a few blocks away.”

“Oh…” the disappointment in Seiji’s voice was almost palpable. Michiru noticed, but focused on trying to keep their balance.

“Yeah, it’s alright,” Michiru repeated. He tried not to think too much of it. _Might just be the alcohol talking_ , he surmised.

After some time struggling up the stairs, Michiru managed to get Seiji into the spare room. He leaned him up against the wall while he dug into the closet and dug out an old futon for him.

“There’s a bathroom down the hall if you need it,” he started laying out the futon and the pillow. “I think I have a change of clothes in the closet you’re welcome to borrow too…”

Michiru looked up and found Seiji missing from his spot. Instead he was sitting on the floor by the window, looking out down the alleyway. He traced the zig-zagging patterns of mesmerizing electrical wires down the horizon, counting the neon lights along the way. There were ads and signs for pubs, clubs, the occasional karaoke bar or restaurant. Even though it was this late, there was another life happening down on the streets below.

“We should go out sometime,” Seiji said. He rested an elbow on the windowsill. “I don’t think I’ve ever really been down to one of these clubs before.”

“Didn’t know you were interested in that kinda stuff,” Michiru finished setting the bedding. Did he just ask him out? “We can go another time.”

“Yeah.”

Michiru knelt beside the futon and watched as Seiji crawled over and climbed under the covers. He reached over and started fussing with the blanket when Seiji laughed.

“I can’t remember the last time I was tucked into bed like this,” Seiji giggled. His face was warm and red, and he could feel the earth spin just a little, but it was like nothing else mattered in his little sleep cocoon.

“Don’t start feelin’ special now, I do this with all my drunken customers,” Michiru joked.

He looked down and he caught himself staring deep into the older man’s violet eyes. For him, the rest of the world had melted away too. Instead of all the noise and humdrum of the outside, all he felt was safe and warm. He was too entranced to notice, but Seiji stared back as well. For him, Michiru’s silver eyes were a cooling presence. The spinning stopped and in its place was a heartbeat skipped. They felt themselves magnetized to each other, the faces drawing closer and closer near until their noses were just an inch apart.

“I…” Michiru struggled to find something to say.

Seiji simply smiled and closed the gap between them. Their lips met and their skin tingled, flush with excitement. Michiru returned the passion, parting his lips ever so slightly to taste the lingering bitterness of the sake. Seiji grazed his tongue against Michiru’s in response. He took it as a challenge and he brought his hands up to hold Michiru by the back of his head, entangling his fingers in his hair. He could feel Michiru towering over him as the younger man held himself up with hands on either side of Seiji’s head.

There in them developed a need to take in more of each other. Seiji let out a small whine which only encouraged Michiru onwards. Michiru let his desires take over, slipping his tongue deeper to explore. His hands started to wander, ripping the covers off and sliding it beneath his shirt. His fingers traced his muscles, following each rise and dip of his abs, the curve of his pecs. Seiji followed suit and clawed his way up Michiru’s back. Years of judo training had developed the most defined back Seiji had ever put his hands upon, from his traps to his shoulders. Michiru let out a sigh at his touch, his skin burning where he had touched.

It wasn’t until they needed air did they come up, gasping and panting. Seiji immediately stripped his shirt off and stared back at his friend, a smirk set upon his face.

“Happy birthday to me, indeed.”

Michiru’s face flushed deep red. His eyes darted around the room but ended up on Seiji and his bare chest anyway. His dogtags and new necklace rested between his pecs as his chest rose and fell with each breath. The abs that Michiru had felt just now were just as impressive as well… Michiru sat up as he kneeled, taking in how disheveled Seiji was before him. He was usually so put together, but Michiru felt a newfound pleasure in ruining the tidiness.

“I-I, uh, ah, w-well, mm,” Michiru stammered. He played and tugged at the bottom of his own shirt, partially out of nervousness and partially to hide some excitement.

“It’s alright,” Seiji assured him. He reached out and put his hand on his. “Really.”

“You’re just saying that,” Michiru managed to get out. “L-Listen, I’m gonna go before anything r-really happens—”

“Don’t go.”

Seiji’s smile snapped into a serious frown. He reached up and held Michiru by the hem of his shirt now. There was something else in his eyes now, a kind of need different from before their moment.

“Stay here.”

“I dunno if that’s a good—”

“Michiru,” Seiji pleaded, cutting the younger man off. Michiru’s heart skipped another beat. “We don’t even have to do anything, just…”

“Seiji…”

His friend’s name sat in his mouth for a while, drawn out and slow. Michiru looked at the fists he clenched in his lap. Hearing Seiji say his name like that, it was something he would have never dreamed of… Why did his heart break for him? What could he do for him? _Should_ he try to help him? He isn’t taking advantage of him right now, is he? In his head, one thought was clear.

_I want to take care of him and see him smile._

Seiji spoke again, bringing Michiru back from his thoughts.

“Please, Michiru. I don’t want to be alone. I want _you_ here with me.”

Michiru paused, the mood hanging over his head. He decided to let his reflexes decide. Without saying anything, he stood and went to turn out the lights. The neon signs in the alley bled into the dark room, guiding Michiru to the closet where he pulled out another futon set. He set it next to Seiji and climbed in.

“Okay,” Michiru whispered. His heart was on the verge of leaping out of his chest, its beat strong in his ears. It was hard and east to tell in the dark that their faces were an inch apart again. Their breaths intermingled in each other’s, carving out a warm space in the narrow between them. “I’ll stay.”

Seiji broke out into the widest grin with his shining eyes glistening in the night. He brought an arm out and wrapped it around Michiru’s waist to bring him closer. Even under the covers, they could feel each other’s heat radiating through the fabric. Their breaths caught a hitch at the feel of their bodies against each other. He moved his hand up to Michiru’s head, slipping his bandanna off and rustling his soft hair between his fingers. Michiru leaned into him and let out a little sigh. Their eyelids were getting heavy.

“You’ll stay,” Seiji whispered back with a nervous joy in his voice.

“Happy birthday,” Michiru mumbled, trying to keep himself awake. He closed the gap between them one more time for good measure and smirked.

Seiji held him close. Sleep was near for them. He muttered something back, something hard to hear and lost to the slumber.

“…ru… ...ve you…”

[END]

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Birthday Seiji!! Sorry I finished this late, but I figured better late than never. I know I personally hate combination gifts since my birthday's around the holidays too, but I hope you won't mind. Hope I didn't stray too far from you and Michiru's personalities... ;; 
> 
> \--
> 
> I had actually intended for this story to go in another direction, but it's interesting to see that change. (Well for me, I suppose, since you don't know what that original plot line was. I basically cut five pages out though.) I also never know how many tags are appropriate since I don't want to go into every little detail and spoil it. Oh well. Special thanks to milki and teku for being awesome SeijiP's. Anyways, thanks for reading and happy holidays~


End file.
